Last night's hog

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  • Daezee

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    I've only seen and shot black, brown, and reddish hogs in NW Florida. I'd like to get one with spots or maybe a white stripe. And by "spots", I don't mean a piglet. This one had a long snout, I guess good for rooting.
     

    Jester896

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    This one had a long snout

    That's why I called it a Piney Woods Rooter :)
    We have them all...black, black with white spots, red, red with black spots, gray with gold (Russian), and even the Hampshire stripe, and more.
    think you can get a 3 day non-res small game and shoot them here for about $20 or used to could.
     

    Daezee

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    Here's a new Last night's hog.

    Farmer asked me to keep coming out, so I went out last night. Didn't expect to see any due to me running them off when I shot what I hoped was the lead sow the night before so I was gonna go home at 11pm, but....

    Sat in the shadow of the barn watching the field to the east...nothing but a couple of deer and rabbits. Every 20 minutes I'd get up and walk about 50yd so I could scan a north peanut field (can't scan north field from barn due to row of trees bordering the north field). Nothing but deer in north field (but can now better ID bucks as their velvet antlers are growing up and out). 11pm decide to go home (as the crow flies, home is just 2 miles away), but will take one last look at the north field. Notice the previously spread out deer are now all bunched up. Scan to the right and there are about 16 hogs. Can't simply walk along the cleared edge of the field to get close due to the wind direction, so my only course is through the peanuts, stepping over a row of plants and taking a couple of steps east after each over the row step, going towards the hogs at an angle. Hogs are about 275 yards away and going north and then south and then north, back and forth rooting peanuts.

    Meanwhile the deer can see me and the moon is rising (they have great night vision in my experience), and after while decide they'd better vacate the field between the hogs and me coming. Had to stop in the middle of the stalk and change batteries in my hand held thermal. Finally close enough. Can't figure the lead sow, so I pick the biggest sow and shoot her in the neck. Fired a shot at a running big hog, missing and couldn't fire more as it turned and started running towards an unsafe direction. Look back at the downed sow and see 2 heat signatures...did I get 2? Walked closer and the small heat signature jumps up, bounding over peanut rows, a piglet sized (about 10 or so pounds) one...too hard for me so I don't shoot; maybe in a field with not as much vegetation it might be do-able, but not here.

    She's just as big as the sow the night before.

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    I was surprised I saw a sounder. But it might have been a different sounder than from the night before, as there seemed to be more adults and fewer small ones in this one. It seems that if you shoot at a sounder, they are gone for a while (a while meaning weeks). Oh well, I'll take it and the farmer is very happy.
     

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    Jester896

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    I remember 3 of us stalking in on a couple and taking out one of the boars. We all 3 fired at hogs. We went to look at the downed hog...talked loudly for a minute and were walking back to our position. My friend says keep scanning behind us...I have seen strange things before. I turned and scanned and there was a very large single boar coming into the field...my have been under 100 yards from us...this was prior to using suppressors...don't quit because you shot one :)
     

    Daezee

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    This time I'll not take/post a pic, as the buzzards got to it before we could get it moved. This morning, about 12:30am I killed a pregnant sow (counted 6 babies in her ripped open abdomen), about 150-160 lb. Had been sitting in a shooting house waiting for a sow that, per her and piglet tracks, was showing about 50-100yd from the shooting house, multiple nights. She was a no-show this time. Did get to watch a coyote scare off 2 bucks (antlers in velvet).

    Walking the 500yd back to my truck, I stopped to take a quick look at a peanut field that can't be seen from the shooting house and there were 14 hogs in it. 2 adults and all others smaller. Although the wind was going from me to the sounder, I would try anyway. The peanut plants are getting higher, so the hogs were partially hidden as they fed. I tried to get close, but the hogs, in their feeding mode, kept moving away, but making no signs they could smell me. Aimed and fired at the largest one, trying for the head/neck, and then all heck broke loose with hogs running everywhere. A large one ran such that I could lead and shoot, and it instantly flipped up and over. Fired at a small hog, but missed. OK, I've got 2 I thought...but could only find the one that had been running and flipped over. Either I missed the first one or killed it as it ran. There's little way that an adult dead hog could not be seen by my thermal, as I looked down every row, and the peanuts were not THAT high.

    Speculation: The same sounder that I'd taken 2 adult sows from before, and one of them was the lead sow, so the remainder keep coming back to the peanuts and are more interested in eating than smelling humans. Each time I see it, it has fewer adults, but the smaller ones are still there.
     

    Daezee

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    Just got in. 29th hog (large sow) killed about 11pm. Had gotten a call from a farmer that he'd finished turning all his peanut fields, and could I come out. Went out about 9pm. Immediately spotted a coyote eating peanuts about 150yd away. After a few minutes it noticed me standing there in the moon light, although I'm dressed in black, but had not put on my hat face cover and gloves, it noticed me and ran off after getting worried about me. I finished walking to where I'd be sitting. About 10:30pm I see something large come out about 300yd away. It was a sounder of hogs clumped together that then spread out in the peanuts...then I knew they were hogs. I watched for about 20 minutes, and they'd only come closer by about 50yd, so I decided to stalk. After about 15 minutes of slowly getting closer, all of a sudden they came towards me and started eating again. I counted 20. At this point they are about 50 yards away, to my left, to my right, and right in front of me. I picked a big sow, shot, and then fired 4 more shots at a couple of others as they ran back into the jungle that borders the field. I heard one "screaming" and believe I heard a gnashing of teeth from the jungle, but it's night, it's a jungle of swamp, trees, brush...it is not worth me going in harms way for a wounded hog.

    Dragged her a few feet to the edge of the field and will take care of her in the morning. 300 Blackout, Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tip, 16" bbl, FLIR RS32 thermal sight, CRUX Ark 30 suppressor, custom "Hog Slayer" milled hand guard. On the bottom of the hand guard, under the word "Hog" you can see I'm wearing off the finish on the edges I've carried and used it so much. Not readily apparent, but my suppressor has a myriad of scratches and finish wear from having been used a lot in hunting, plinking, long range shooting, in and out of blinds, and in and out of hunting vehicles.

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    Glock31c

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    Just got in. 29th hog (large sow) killed about 11pm. Had gotten a call from a farmer that he'd finished turning all his peanut fields, and could I come out. Went out about 9pm. Immediately spotted a coyote eating peanuts about 150yd away. After a few minutes it noticed me standing there in the moon light, although I'm dressed in black, but had not put on my hat face cover and gloves, it noticed me and ran off after getting worried about me. I finished walking to where I'd be sitting. About 10:30pm I see something large come out about 300yd away. It was a sounder of hogs clumped together that then spread out in the peanuts...then I knew they were hogs. I watched for about 20 minutes, and they'd only come closer by about 50yd, so I decided to stalk. After about 15 minutes of slowly getting closer, all of a sudden they came towards me and started eating again. I counted 20. At this point they are about 50 yards away, to my left, to my right, and right in front of me. I picked a big sow, shot, and then fired 4 more shots at a couple of others as they ran back into the jungle that borders the field. I heard one "screaming" and believe I heard a gnashing of teeth from the jungle, but it's night, it's a jungle of swamp, trees, brush...it is not worth me going in harms way for a wounded hog.

    Dragged her a few feet to the edge of the field and will take care of her in the morning. 300 Blackout, Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tip, 16" bbl, FLIR RS32 thermal sight, CRUX Ark 30 suppressor, custom "Hog Slayer" milled hand guard. On the bottom of the hand guard, under the word "Hog" you can see I'm wearing off the finish on the edges I've carried and used it so much. Not readily apparent, but my suppressor has a myriad of scratches and finish wear from having been used a lot in hunting, plinking, long range shooting, in and out of blinds, and in and out of hunting vehicles.

    View attachment 76618
    Have you ever thought about doing a 14.5 setup in 300 blackout. With a can on the end.
     

    Jester896

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    Nice guilt! good sausage maker right there.
    I finally took time off and made a first light pass at one of my places yesterday...got mosquitoes the size of honey bees...the deer flies were thick...I thought when that horse fly hit the windshield inside..it was going to crack. I did find a fresh wallow and right where I expected to find one...might need to put a camera on it to narrow down when it is used...only sign I found on 300 acres.
     

    Daezee

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    Never tried or own a 14.5” Blackout. Do own and have used 8”,9.5”,10.3” Blackout uppers with a suppressor, but like 16” with its higher velocity for hunting hogs when I have to shoot a large boar. For sows it does not matter in my experience.
     

    FrommerStop

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    How important is being able to suppress the sound of the muzzle blast to what you are doing. I am assuming you are using supersonic loads.
     

    Daezee

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    How important is being able to suppress the sound of the muzzle blast to what you are doing. I am assuming you are using supersonic loads.

    Not super important, however:

    It protects my hearing and that of my partner.

    One can sometimes hear the bullet hit.

    Can hear the direction the animal runs if it does.

    Can hear the animal making noises (such as squealing, kicking or thrashing or falling out of sight).

    Can sometimes get a repeat shot as the animal is either not aware or doesn't know the way to run.

    More often than not, my Ark30 improves the accuracy.

    Reduces or eliminates muzzle flash at night.

    Makes shooting much less noticeable to neighbors in the area...I feel this is important, although we've not had any problems in this regard. Have been visited by game warden, but that's because he saw Sawman's truck parked at a field at night, not because of noise (but he did ask Sawman if I ((in another field)) was using a suppressor). Doesn't wake my wife or bother one of our gun-shy dogs (3 other dogs don't care). Doesn't bother livestock as much (a nice plus if there is livestock in the area).

    Does make the firearm longer overall, which has led to scrapes on my suppressor getting in and out of Sawman's electric buggy. I often use a suppressor cover to avoid metal on metal clanks in the dark.

    Yes I am using supersonic, but on dillos I use subsonic frangible bullets for the utmost quiet.
     

    SAWMAN

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    And . . . standing close to each other we can quietly communicate AFTER Bruce's shot. Not so much after mine. ---- SAWMAN
     

    Daezee

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    About the coyote last night:

    I did not shoot at it, nor did I intend to, just scare it off the peanuts. Physically, I could have safely shot, it wasn't that far away, and sat long enough trying to figure out if I was danger. Although we are doing a service for the farmer/property owner and having fun doing it, we are there at their pleasure, have spent years building a trust relationship (I believe it took 4 years for this property before being asked/allowed to hog hunt doing such things as helping the owner build, bait, and repair hog traps, reporting any hog damage, baking blueberry muffins with our own blueberries for his wife, coming out to help butcher hogs, sharing hog meat with different families, attending a state wildlife biologist and forestry rep meeting with the owner), and must follow their rules. At this particular property, the owner doesn't want coyotes shot, and that is that.
     

    wildrider666

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    A lot of the suppressor benifits can be accomplished with electronic hearing protection, better powder burn, and a good muzzle device, though many remaining benifits are solid advantages.
     

    FLT

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    It’s always a good idea to follow the land owners rules, on my place killing a fox squirrel will get you in deep poop with the lady of the house.
     

    FrommerStop

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    About the coyote last night:

    I did not shoot at it, nor did I intend to, just scare it off the peanuts. Physically, I could have safely shot, it wasn't that far away, and sat long enough trying to figure out if I was danger. Although we are doing a service for the farmer/property owner and having fun doing it, we are there at their pleasure, have spent years building a trust relationship (I believe it took 4 years for this property before being asked/allowed to hog hunt doing such things as helping the owner build, bait, and repair hog traps, reporting any hog damage, baking blueberry muffins with our own blueberries for his wife, coming out to help butcher hogs, sharing hog meat with different families, attending a state wildlife biologist and forestry rep meeting with the owner), and must follow their rules. At this particular property, the owner doesn't want coyotes shot, and that is that.

    It was interesting that the coyotes was eating peanuts and maybe ready to eat anything else that was eating the peanutes
    Perhaps the farmer appreciates the abilities of coyotes to kill critters that also eat his crops.
     
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